MOSCOW, March 5 (Reuters) - Russia's Uralkali will
invest $4.5 billion over the next five years to raise production
capacity by 30 percent, aiming to remain the world's largest
potash company despite a setback at a major mine.

Uralkali's capacity to produce potash, a crop nutrient, came
into focus after it halted production at the Solikamsk-2 mine,
damaged by flooding in November.

"We are the industry leader and aim to maintain and
strengthen our long-term prospects in the global potash market
by increasing our annual production," Dmitry Osipov, Uralkali's
chief executive, said on Thursday.

The new production plan was announced alongside financial
results for 2014, which were hit by non-cash write-offs caused
by a more than 40-percent slump in the value of the rouble
against the U.S. dollar.
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